Let Love Live
by jjaai23
Summary: The story takes place right after 11x23. This continues on with Callie and Arizona's patient from 11x23, Joan. This is my view on how I would like to see Calzona in the finale & heading into season 12. I will continue this how I see fit regardless of the outcome we receive in the actual finale. Obviously I own nothing, all rights to Shonda and ABC.
1. Go Get Her

**I'm back! Wow, it's been quite sometime. For those of you who have read my previous story, I hope you enjoy this one just as much. For those of you who haven't, welcome! I had a crazy year, but I am back at it. Enjoy this chapter everyone!**

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Arizona and Callie both waited restlessly outside of Joan's hospital room, both unsure of how to break the news of her fiance's passing. No words between the two doctors had been exchanged. Callie noticed Arizona fidgeting with the collar of her scrubs as if she was looking for something to grab. Arizona had this nervous habit of playing with her necklace when her anxiety set in, but now that she and Callie had been divorced for quite some time she no longer wore their matching heart necklaces. Arizona couldn't find it within herself to put a different necklace on, so she just grabbed onto her collar and gently ran her fingers across the seam. Callie could tell she was struggling,

"I can do it." she broke their long silence. Arizona's thoughts were interrupted by Callie's words. She brought her attention to Callie's eyes. Eyes should avoided as much as she could. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out right away. After a moment she was able to pull her thoughts together. She cleared her throat and adjusted her stance,

"I've got it." She said confidently enough that she even almost believed it herself. Callie nodded and let Arizona enter the patient's room first. Joan was awake and had a defeated look in her eyes. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. She wanted nothing more than to see Keith walk through the doors holding their son, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

Arizona stood at the foot of Joan's bed and reached for her collar once again. The three stood in silence for a moment until Callie cleared her throat. A que for Arizona to begin speaking. Arizona took a deep breath and took a step closer to Joan, "Joan, we came in to talk to you about Keith." Joan's eyes already filled up with tears knowing what they were about to say.

"He didn't make it, did he?" She asked. Her words were soft, but they had made Arizona feel like she just got punched in the gut. Callie bowed her head and stepped closer to the both of them. Arizona paused for a second and nodded her head,

"I am so sorry for your loss. They did absolutely everything they possibly could for him. He just didn't make it." Arizona said with sincerity. Joan quietly began sobbing, still unable to move her head, she shut her eyes trying to stop the tears from falling. After a few moments she opened them and looked into Arizona's eyes and softly said,

"This wasn't how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to be marrying this man. Keith was supposed to be here. Our son was supposed to meet his father. I didn't even get to marry him." she said once again with tears falling down her cheeks. Callie could feel the tears building up in her own eyes, she then wondered if Arizona was tearing as well. Unable to see her face because her back was to her Callie spoke up,

"Keith loved you very much. He told his doctors to let you know that he was proud and loved you."

"I couldn't even tell him one last time that I loved him." Joan cleared her throat as several tears escaped her eyes. Arizona moved closer to Joan once again and spoke gently,

"He knew Joan, he knew."

"What am I supposed to do? I was supposed to love him forever. He was supposed to be mine forever. What now?" Joan looked to Arizona for answers.

"Listen, I know it may not feel this way right now, but you will always have him. Just because you aren't with someone, or just because you didn't get a chance to marry them… that doesn't mean anything. You both shared a real connection and love and that will never ever go away, I promise you. A love that strong stays with you, it will always be in your heart regardless of anything life throws your way." Arizona began feeling the tears in her eyes build up. Joan was no longer crying, she sniffled a few times and looked deep into Arizona's eyes.

"You sound really sure about that." She said. Arizona gave a weak smile and nodded her head. Joan looked her up and down sympathetically and said, "How can you know that Keith will stay with me?"

"Because you love him. Love doesn't just go away. I promise you." Arizona spoke confidently even though her heart felt heavy. The room got quiet once again. Joan could see that Arizona had either physically or emotionally lost someone she once loved. She wanted to learn how Arizona pulled through. Joan's face began looking a little more hopeful, "Do you have a husband ?" The question took Arizona by surprise. Callie couldn't hide the shocked look on her face as she stared at Joan. Joan laid still and waited for an answer.

"No, I don't have a husband." Arizona answered shyly.

"Do you have a wife?" Joan replied rather quickly. This also took Arizona aback. Callie's eyes went to Arizona, but once again all she could see was the back of her head. Arizona then looked down at her hands and opened her mouth to speak,

"No… I don't, I don't have a wife either." She said quietly, "I've just been in love." Arizona wanted to divert the conversation away from her love life, but Joan continued to ask questions. She was looking for some answers. Her questioning came from a place of her simply seeking some understanding to the situation she was going through. Arizona's advice seemed so positive and so exact on how Joan could keep going with her life, Joan just wanted Arizona to identify with her,

"Are you still in love?" Joan asked. Arizona looked down and took a breath. Callie stared desperately at the two having this conversation in front of her. Listening to every word that came out of Arizona's mouth. She felt her heart drop when Joan asked Arizona about still being in love. She stood there waiting for Arizona to respond. Arizona could feel Callie's eyes on her. Things between her and Callie hadn't been anything special. They only spoke when it came to anything work or Sofia related. They hadn't hung out or been involved in each others personal lives for almost a year and a half now, but the love was still there; at least on Arizona's part. Everyday was just a reminder of how much she missed Callie. Seeing so much of Callie in Sofia was another reminder. Having to work cases with her only made her realize how incredible Callie was, not only as a surgeon, but also as a person. Nothing about their divorce was easy on Arizona. She knew this was what Callie wanted. And after everything all Arizona wanted to do was make Callie happy and not get in her way of feeling _free._ Arizona opened her mouth to tell Joan she was in fact no longer in love with Callie that way, she just simply had love for her, which quite frankly were two different things in Arizona's book. Though this was a lie, this was what she wanted to go with considering that Callie was standing no less than two feet behind her. She opened her mouth to falsely clarify her feelings for Callie, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out. She attempted to answer Joan's question one more time,

"I… uh… I'm," she spoke softly. Callie waited nervously and curiously for Arizona's response. The two had barely had any real contact in the last several months and Callie felt like Arizona had just moved on from the idea of their relationship. Though she was the one that initiated the split, all she just wanted was for herself and Arizona to be happy, whether that meant being together or not. She assumed that Arizona had found happiness within herself and or maybe even within a new relationship, so she just let her be and did her best to move on from the relationship. Though moving on seemed a lot easier said than done. Arizona still consumed Callie's thoughts.

Arizona attempted one more time to answer Joan's question, "I am, I'm still in love with this woman." Arizona said quietly. Something within her couldn't lie about how she felt about Callie even if it meant messing up whatever kind of relationship they had just rebuilt. She just couldn't be in that room and deny being completely in love with her. She began playing with her collar once more, "I have always been and I will always be in love with her." She continued as she could feel her heart beating faster than ever. Callie felt tears building up in her eyes as she felt a slight ache in her chest. Joan smiled at the revelation.

"Why can't you be together?" Joan asked with a sad smile. Arizona now realized what she had done and began to feel some regret. She could still feel Callie watching her. She was too nervous to turn around and face the woman so Arizona kept her attention on Joan as she answered her question,

"Because… It just didn't work out that way for us."

"But you're in love." Joan responded childishly. Arizona closed her eyes and shook her head softly hoping that Joan would just drop the conversation.

"Yeah, I am." Arizona felt a single tear fall down her cheek, "Completely." She said slightly above a whisper, but it was loud of enough that both Joan and Callie could hear. Joan was about to speak before Arizona cut back in, "This woman has my heart. And just because it didn't work out that doesn't mean that love just goes away." Arizona said trying to give Joan hope. Callie felt her breathing become increasingly more difficult to control. Part of her wanted to walk out of the room, the other part knew she needed to stay.

"Go get her." Joan replied.

"What?" Arizona said with a slight laugh.

"You heard me, go get this girl. She is still alive, correct?" Joan said so positively, " if I have learned anything in the last twenty four hours it is that life is so incredibly short. You are so right," She paused, "It's gonna hurt like hell to be without him, but I will forever have Keith with me. In my heart, he's in my son, I have a piece of him wherever I go from here on out. That love can live in my heart," she smiled, "But you… you have a chance. Don't let the love for this girl only live in your heart when you can still feel it and be in it with her. And you know what? If you're worried that she's no longer in love with you, I think you're wrong.I mean I just met you and I think you're pretty awesome, so why wouldn't she still be in love with you too?" She paused once more, "Am I right Dr. Torres ?" Callie's attention hadn't left Arizona during almost the entire conversation until this question was asked of her. She snapped out of it and turned her attention to Joan, who was looking at her eagerly waiting for an answer. Arizona looked down at her hands secretly hoping Callie would say yes. Joan looked at Callie with confusion, "Dr. Torres, don't you think this woman is still in love with Dr. Robbins too?" Joan said so oblivious to the whole situation. Silence filled the room. Arizona slowly turned and looked back at Callie, who was already looking directly towards her with barely visible tears in her eyes. Arizona knew every part of Callie, so she knew she was holding back her tears. They looked into each others eyes for a moment until Callie then turned her attention back to Joan and spoke so quietly it was almost a whisper,

"Yeah... I think you're right, Joan." Arizona couldn't get a read on exactly what Callie was thinking, but she was so visibly upset that Arizona felt like she only hurt her by expressing the love she still had for her. Callie avoided all eye contact and turned away from both Joan and Arizona.

"Go get her. Be happy with her. You deserve to feel that happiness while you can. Don't let the world take that away from you." Joan said with a small smile on her face. Arizona tucked her hair behind her ears and returned the smiled. She wanted nothing more than to change the subject, noticing that Callie's back was still turned away from them.

"This is supposed to be about you, you know?" Arizona attempted to revert the conversation back to Joan. Callie finally turned back around, but kept her eyes looking downward at the floor and her arms crossed.

"It was. The love of my life is gone and I'll deal with that. Yours is still out there, you should deal with that as well," Joan could feel her eyes starting to tear, "I want someone here to have a fairytale ending, so go and try again." Joan gave both doctors a genuine smile. Callie wiped the tear out of her eye and began slowly heading out the door. Hearing the door close behind her Arizona knew that Callie had just walked out. She felt a knot build up in her stomach.

"Just buzz the nurses if you need anything." Arizona smiled back at Joan.

"I know, I got it." Joan said closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Arizona placed her hands in her pockets and walked towards the door. She closed it quietly behind her. Quickly scanning the halls, Callie was nowhere to be seen. Arizona leaned her head back on the door and closed her eyes. The silence suddenly hit her. _What exactly did I just do?_


	2. You Look Really Pretty

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the awesome comments, I greatly appreciate them. I cannot believe season 11 is over. I was super underwhelmed with the outcome for our girls, but I am definitely keeping my word and continuing with my story. Here is chapter two. Hope you all enjoy! Once again, all rights to Shonda and ABC. I own nothing.**

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After a few attempts at finding Callie had failed Arizona decided to let it be for now. She knew she was somewhere in the hospital and if avoiding her was what Callie wanted to do then avoiding her is what would occur. Arizona only accepted the gesture of avoidance because she knew in a few hours she would end up seeing Callie at Richard and Catherine's wedding, so secretly she knew she would not be avoided for that much longer. Although the thought of seeing Callie did make her nervous. What was it going to be like? Was she gonna be kind and maybe even willing to talk things out with Arizona? Was she gonna ignore her forever? Maybe she would simply tell Arizona that saying those things were uncalled for and that they should stay professional while at work? All these possibilities gave Arizona a headache.

Arizona's shift had ended. She was now winding down for the day, but saw no point in going home because the wedding was only an hour away. She was thankful that she was prepared and brought her wedding attire with her. She wanted to fit a light nap in before the festivities began so she grabbed an on call room and plopped herself on the bed. _Did I just make everything worse for myself by mentioning my love for her? But she mentioned still being in love as well? Or did I totally misunderstand what she said? What if I didn't misunderstand? What if she's still in love with me too?_ So consumed with her thoughts she didn't even reply to the knock on the door. She barely even notice Alex coming in.

"Thanks for answering your phone." Alex said as he closed the door behind him. Arizona turned her attention over to him and picked up her phone.

"I didn't even get…" She said as she pressed the home button on her phone, it lit up with two missed calls and a text from Alex, "Sorry. I've been… preoccupied." She didn't feeling like giving him details in this moment. She didn't even have details to give, she didn't know what anything that had happened meant for her and Callie.

"Whatever," Alex said as he took a seat next to her. She moved herself over to make room, "Listen, Mer is moving in with the kids… and Amelia might be included in that also." Alex spoke so nonchalantly. Arizona sat up quickly.

"That's a lot of people for a place that doesn't have an endless amount of bedrooms…" Arizona knew what Alex was saying, but didn't want to jump to conclusions of her having to find her own place.

"It won't be for a little while, so you've got some time. We can figure it out. Maybe you and Amelia can share a room… it'll be like college dorming all over again." Alex said with a smirk on his face.

"You cannot be serious? Alex, I am not sharing a room. I haven't shared a room since I was like - " Attempting to say since she was a little girl Alex cut her off.

"Since you were married?" He questioned. She paused for a second, that wasn't where she was going with the conversation, but he was right. She stayed quiet for a moment, "Listen nothing is set in stone, we don't need to rush to figure this out. Mer isn't moving in for a while. I'm not just gonna throw you out on your ass, you know that." He said hitting her playfully on the arm. Arizona gave a weak smile and laid back down. Alex headed towards the door, "You going to the wedding?" He asked before leaving.

"Yeah, I have my stuff with me." She replied.

"Alright, see ya." He began shutting the door.

"Karev, have you seen Callie around?" She yelled hoping to catch his attention. She was successful.

"Last I checked she was finishing up in O.R three." He said as he walked away. Arizona rolled her eyes at his lack of help. She already knew that Callie was in O.R three because that was where they were working on Joan. She wondered if Callie had just left after their encounter. She knew questioning her whereabouts were pointless because she'd see her at the wedding regardless. She closed her eyes for a second before the thought of it being necessary for her to look good at this wedding entered her mind. _You know she's gonna be there, might as well look hot. Show her what she's been missing._ This was all the convincing she needed to pick herself up out of the bed and begin getting dressed. She chose a black dress that hugged her in all the right places. She went with a slightly curled look for her hair and put on her best make up. She was feeling confident and pretty damn sexy.

After Arizona realized she had about fifteen minutes to spare before the wedding started she decided to head down to the chapel area. She walked in and there were only two people inside. She wanted a good seat so she chose to put her sweater down on one of the isles closest to the front. She felt a little smile creep onto her face, she loved weddings. They were the happiest days of peoples lives and she was excited for Richard and Catherine. She sat down for a moment before deciding that she should use the restroom, she didn't want to be one of those annoying people who sits in the front yet decides to run to the bathroom in the middle of the ceremony. Once she finished washing her hands she started to playing with her hair. She just wanted to look her best in case she did end up speaking to Callie. She took a deep breath and began to let out a sigh, but before she could even finish the door swung open and Callie came shuffling into the bathroom. She was in the process of fixing her dress and holding a pair of heels in her hand. Her dark hair was out and slightly curled onto her shoulders. She was so focused on fixing the bottom of her dress and making it through the bathroom door she didn't even notice Arizona standing at the sink staring at her. Realizing that Callie hadn't seen her yet Arizona turned back towards the mirror and began to wash her hands once more. She wanted to stall and be able to speak to Callie before the wedding started.

After hearing the water start to run Callie looked up. Her eyes widened at the sight of Arizona. She wasn't sure if it was the dress, the events that transpired between the two of them earlier, the frustration she felt from not being able to properly get ready for the wedding, or all three, but she definitely felt a sense of being overwhelmed come over her. She avoided seeing Arizona as much as she could after their talk with Joan, she just wasn't ready to deal with that situation yet. She wanted to put it off as long as she could, but seeing as though they were both in the bathroom at this time, Callie knew her time of avoidance had run out.

Arizona used an excessive amount of soap to wash her hands, she had been waiting for Callie to say something, so she ended up pumping way too much soap into her palm. She thought this was a good thing though. The more the soap, the longer it'll take to wash, the more time she had to talk with Callie. She noticed Callie staring, but also noticed when her turn her attention turned toward the mirror. She looked up, into the mirror, cautiously hoping that they didn't have awkward eye contact. She successfully was able to look over and saw Callie bending over to put her heels on. _She looks beautiful, even cuter because she seems so flustered with her clothing._

"Hey." Arizona broke the silence. She even surprised herself, the words left her mouth before thinking about speaking even crossed her mind.

"Hi." Callie replied, but she still wasn't looking up or making eye contact with Arizona. An awkward silence took over and Arizona nodded her head, unsure of what she should say next.

"Wedding seems nice." Arizona said shutting the water off and grabbing some paper towel to dry her hands.

"Yeah…" Callie mumbled as she sat up straight as she finished adjusting her heels. She turned her attention towards the mirror and began playing with her hair. She looked incredibly nervous and Arizona could tell. Arizona walked closer towards Callie and leaned against the sink.

"You… you look really pretty." She said softly. Callie could feel her heart drop at the sound of these words. Words she had heard before while being in a similar disconnect with Arizona. She didn't make eye contact.

"You look… nice too." She stumbled through her words. Arizona wasn't sure how she should handle this. She was torn. Part of her wanted to just tell Callie that she was sorry and didn't mean the things she had said to Joan, but the other half of her just wanted to kiss her and let her know how much she's missed her. At this moment she was unsure which half would win, but she could barely focus because Callie looked so breath taking. Callie let a breath out waiting for something to happen next, she turned her attention over to Arizona for the first time since seeing one another. They made eye contact and Arizona felt an overwhelming sense of emotions enter her body. Callie could see the tears building up in her eyes and didn't want to continue the conversation, "I'll see you in there, okay?" She said walking towards the door.

"I love you." Arizona said just above a whisper. Callie heard what she said perfectly. She contemplated walking out and pretending like she didn't hear a thing, but she couldn't. She stopped herself from opening the door and paused, back turned to Arizona. She looked down at her hands and began fidgeting with her ring finger. The finger that once held the ring that signified committed between the two of them. Arizona waited for Callie to turn around. A single tear fell down her cheek, "Calliope…" Arizona said softly. Callie turned around rather quickly at the sound of her name.

"No." She stepped forward looking annoyed, "No, you do not get to 'Calliope' me anymore." She said now angered. Arizona nodded her head.

"Okay, okay... You're right." She said backing herself up. Callie's emotions were running wild, she wasn't sure what she should say. She had all these thoughts and feelings in her head and heart, but she was so unsure of what to do. She calmed herself down.

"You don't get to tell me that you love me after almost two years of us barely speaking to one another." She said quietly. She began to cry. Arizona hated to see Callie cry and just wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be alright and they would figure it out together, but she knew that was the last thing Callie needed in this moment. Arizona just stood there and nodded her head. Callie felt frustrated, "Why?" she asked. Arizona cleared her throat. She wanted to speak, to give an explanation, but she had nothing. All she had were the feelings she felt and if Callie was upset with her for bringing them back two years to where they once stood, these feelings wouldn't mean much. Arizona could only shrugged her shoulders. She felt slightly humiliated for putting herself back out there for someone who no longer felt that way for her. She didn't want Callie to be upset and she didn't want to disrupt this odd new relationship they had built in the course of two years. The relationship involved civilly picking up and dropping off Sofia and sometimes making awkward jokes when they were required to work on the same patient. Arizona felt as if this was how Callie wanted things to stay between them and she felt like an idiot for trying to change her mind. She wiped away her tears and began walking towards the door.

"I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable for you. I... I just… I wasn't thinking. I guess with all the death I was just…" She paused, "Feeling, uh… nostalgic. I take it back. I mean we're good. We're fine." She said as she went to grab the handle on the door. Callie stepped slightly in front of her and before Arizona realized it Callie's lips were on hers. Both felt a rush through their bodies as their lips touched for the first time in what felt like forever. It was a sweet kiss filled with passion. Callie's hands were in Arizona's hair and Arizona's arms wrapped around Callie. After moments of getting lost in one another Callie stopped the kiss. Her hands on Arizona's face. Their foreheads were pressed against one another both of their eyes closed letting what had transpired settle in. Suddenly the door swung open. Maggie walked in and both Callie and Arizona quickly backed away from one another. Arizona began to frantically place her hair behind her ears and Callie gave Maggie her nervous smile. Maggie looked at the two ladies with an idea of what must have been happening before she walked in.

"I'm sorry…" She said awkwardly, "The wedding is about to start any minute now." She said smiling uncomfortably. All three ladies stood there for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course." Callie said while nervously laughing. She shied away from making eye contact with Arizona and walked out of the bathroom walking past Maggie. Arizona tried to not look confused or bothered by what had just happened, but she was almost positive she failed at that. Maggie could read her like a book. The silence began to deafen both ladies so Maggie decided to speak up.

"You look nice Arizona." She said walking closer to the bathroom stall. Arizona gave a weak smile.

"Thanks. So do you." She replied softly. Maggie gave her a genuine smile back and entered the stall.

Arizona walked out of the bathroom and made her way back into the chapel. She had no idea why Callie just walked out? Or why she decided to kiss her after she seemed so upset with her about everything? Arizona still wasn't sure what these things meant for them. All she knew was that she wanted Callie, but she was so uncertain if that was what Callie wanted. _Was it a pity kiss? Did she just feel bad for me because I embarrassed myself? Perhaps she was just feeling nostalgic._ She was sure that Callie would only end up avoiding her once more and the thought of that made Arizona's heart ache, but to her surprise when she got to her seat there Callie was sitting in the seat to the right of hers. Arizona didn't say anything, she simply moved her sweater over and sat down. Neither said a word to the other. They just sat in silence as the rest of the chapel was filled with some mild buzzing. They awkwardly and occasionally would take turns glancing at one another, but nothing was said. Callie had no idea what was going on in Arizona's head and Arizona was so unsure what was going on in Callie's. Both too afraid to say something. They sat in their silence. The wedding began. Here they were about to watch Richard and Catherine commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives like they once did. Sitting side by side, but feeling like they were worlds apart.


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